The present invention is directed to a torque limiting clutch of the general type disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,089,396 and 4,661,083 and which are designed to transmit up to a predetermined torque from a drive member to a driven member and slip when the predetermined torque is exceeded. For example, when the driven components jam, the clutch slips to prevent the inertia of the motor rotor and shaft from damaging the drive components.
In such a torque limiting or overload clutch, it is usually desirable for the clutch to mount directly onto a motor shaft and to be removable from the shaft without disassembly of the clutch. It is also desirable for the clutch to slip at a substantially constant preselected torque without fading and to provide a long and dependable service life. In addition, it is desirable for the clutch to minimize the mass which rotates with the driven components for minimizing the inertia during a jam and thereby avoid overloading or overstressing the driven components. It has also been found desirable for a torque limiting clutch to be adjustable to provide for selecting from different available torque settings according to the protection required by the components driven through the clutch.